Notable Children's Books - 2018

Each year a committee of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) identifies the best of the best in children's books. According to the Notables Criteria, "notable" is defined as: Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children's books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children's interests in exemplary ways.

According to ALSC policy, the current year's Newbery, Caldecott, Belpré, Sibert, Geisel, and Batchelder Award and Honor books automatically are added to the Notable Children's Books list.

Arturo struggles to keep the family business, a Cuban restaurant, alive in the face of the gentrification of his Florida neighborhood in a fresh, often very funny novel. (Belpré Author Honor Book)

A Face Like Glass. By Frances Hardinge. Abrams/Amulet (9781419724848).

Restless, impulsive Neverfell, with no memory of her past, finds herself in the underground city of Caverna, where faces are expressionless and her life is in incredible danger.

Fault Lines in the Constitution: The Framers, Their Fights, and the Flaws that Affect Us Today. By Cynthia Levinson and Sanford Levinson. Illus. Peachtree (9781561459452).

This thought-provoking examination of the history of the U.S. Constitution gives careful consideration to how it functions today.

The First Rule of Punk. By Celia C. Pérez. Viking (9780425290408).

Malu and her “SuperMexican” mother move across the country, leaving behind the father who gets her punk identity. Through new friends and zines, she connects to her roots in an authentic way. (Belpré Author Honor Book)